Article
These are such uncertain times at present … nobody has any idea what the future holds politically, economically or indeed on any other front. It is therefore enormously reassuring for me, when I received the paperwork for our forthcoming Editorial board meeting next month, to see that we have the next four issues of Orthodontic Update all planned out, at least in draft form, so the next 12 months' issues are virtually ‘in the bag’.
Throughout the next year we are going to continue with parts II, III, and IV of our extremely popular series on ‘Autotransplantation of Teeth’, and these will be followed by a case series of successful cases. Transplantation started off as a ‘fringe pastime’ back in the 70s, but has gained in popularity due to the extremely hard work of a number of skilled transplant teams throughout Europe, who are now showing excellent long-term results. There have recently been a number of International Conferences, in Sopot (16), Rotterdam (18) and Copenhagen (19), devoted solely to this topic, which is clearly gaining enormous popularity in Europe.
The next couple of issues will also feature papers discussing how to set up and run clinical trials. Having been involved in many RCTs over the past 25 years in Chesterfield, I would wholeheartedly recommend it as a thoroughly enjoyable ‘team activity’. Getting involved in orthodontic trials will not only renew your enthusiasm for clinical treatment, but will also allow you to appreciate the efforts of the many researchers who are contributing to the ‘evidence base’, which provides the bedrock for what we do on a daily basis.
Future career choices for our bright young trainees may be made a fraction easier, having become better informed after reading the two part article on ‘Life as a new consultant’ and ‘A 5 year reflection on owning a specialist practice’. These useful offerings will be accompanied by the usual case reports on the weird and the wonderful that we all occasionally encounter, as well as helpful hints and tips on dealing with the mundane deep bites, open bites and unerupted teeth that we all encounter with monotonous regularity but for which we still struggle to find the perfect solution.
As always … something for everybody! Enjoy the summer …